Ladies,
I apologize. My impatience at the awards ceremony was well intended - we had lunch to get in, and Danielle had to work. We really couldn't wait another half an hour to get the results, and THEN try to eat. As a result we didn't wait to get results in hand. There was the promise they would be promptly posted, which as of this writing has yet to happen. I don't wish to wait any longer, so I'll dig right in with what I do have.
First - outstanding effort all the way up and down the line. Every single girl did something special today, no exceptions. You should all feel very proud of yourselves for what you did. It went beyond my wildest expectations. I was talking to Matthew before the first race. "What a great day. Something special HAS to happen today!" was my exact quote. And it did. Boy, did it!
We've been talking a lot about focus this week, how important that is to maintain, how it gives you control. Watching your faces on the line I could see no fear, no anxiety, only an eagerness to get out there and do it. I loved it! And the execution... wait a minute, I have to wipe my eyes, I'm tearing up... there... and the execution! You all had a plan and stuck to it. I really don't have a single negative thing to say about any of your races. Not one. That's how perfect a day it was.
Carrie, you're the hunter, and you sure did today. A 6:11 split might have spelled doom, but you are tough, and you followed with two more sub-7's and were in the thick the whole time. By the way, you moved up in place from last year by over 10 spots.
Danielle, you really maintained that focus. You said afterward you were able to think about your form and monitor your body through that second mile, and it showed. You too had a fast first, but you settled down to two even splits after that. Beautiful effort all the way. Convince the mind, and the body will always follow.
Alli, I couldn't guess what would happen after your injury. I hoped you'd be able to race well, because I frankly thought you needed the confidence from a great effort. You of all people today suffered the most, and I commend your guts for doing it, and even more so for the time you posted. There is no doubt in my mind you have another easy minute in you if you get healthy, not that there was anything wrong with today. I guess I want you to know how deeply I appreciate what you put yourself through for the team, and what it means to them, too. You are one tough girl.
Madison! In the 22s now! I'd make some vague "Matrix" reference about "Yes. She's starting to believe!", but you wouldn't get it. My point is I think you're beginning to believe in your potential. Yes, YOU are a great runner, and you have more time you'll drop, lots of it, before the season is over. A drop of 1:29 in a week is nothing to sneeze at.
Kaitlyn, you too are beginning to see it. You have run only since season has been in, but you are really doing a terrific job for us. Running in the 23s with no summer is amazing, and I don't think that's even close to all you have. The next couple of weeks are going to be really interesting for you.
Chloe! That was great to see, that final mile when you looked like the 800 runner you were born to be. That's the strongest I think I've ever seen you look in a race. You beat your time from last year, and it was a huge drop from last meet. Great, great job.
Diana, you too beat your time from last year. Yes, you did. I looked it up. After the hard week I put you through you were probably the least rested of the top-7. No matter, you ran great. You'll soon be in the 23s, I know that. I hope you believe it too.
Carlee, I think in a lot of ways you're still sorting this out, and today I saw a big step in that direction. Your time was a huge improvement over your last race (1:43), and I think there may be more jumps of a similar nature just around the corner. I'll reveal a little secret now... Coach Jo said all summer, "Carlee is your sleeper... she's going to surprise everyone!" What do you think about that!
Claudia, remember when you said you just wanted to complete a 5-mile run without stopping? Now look at you. That was a fantastic race for you today, and I think the athlete in you is really waking up. Now you're ready to go out there and collect a few scalps! Keep pushing, it will pay off.
Nicole, people can say whatever they want, but girl, you can SPRINT! In that final straight there was no question who was the fastest girl. It was you. Great drop on your time - 2:39 from last week to be precise. As your confidence grows, watch the time drop!
Here is the data I was able to pull together. Sorry about the mile 3 splits on a few of you... I was distracted and excited!
I apologize. My impatience at the awards ceremony was well intended - we had lunch to get in, and Danielle had to work. We really couldn't wait another half an hour to get the results, and THEN try to eat. As a result we didn't wait to get results in hand. There was the promise they would be promptly posted, which as of this writing has yet to happen. I don't wish to wait any longer, so I'll dig right in with what I do have.
First - outstanding effort all the way up and down the line. Every single girl did something special today, no exceptions. You should all feel very proud of yourselves for what you did. It went beyond my wildest expectations. I was talking to Matthew before the first race. "What a great day. Something special HAS to happen today!" was my exact quote. And it did. Boy, did it!
We've been talking a lot about focus this week, how important that is to maintain, how it gives you control. Watching your faces on the line I could see no fear, no anxiety, only an eagerness to get out there and do it. I loved it! And the execution... wait a minute, I have to wipe my eyes, I'm tearing up... there... and the execution! You all had a plan and stuck to it. I really don't have a single negative thing to say about any of your races. Not one. That's how perfect a day it was.
Carrie, you're the hunter, and you sure did today. A 6:11 split might have spelled doom, but you are tough, and you followed with two more sub-7's and were in the thick the whole time. By the way, you moved up in place from last year by over 10 spots.
Danielle, you really maintained that focus. You said afterward you were able to think about your form and monitor your body through that second mile, and it showed. You too had a fast first, but you settled down to two even splits after that. Beautiful effort all the way. Convince the mind, and the body will always follow.
Alli, I couldn't guess what would happen after your injury. I hoped you'd be able to race well, because I frankly thought you needed the confidence from a great effort. You of all people today suffered the most, and I commend your guts for doing it, and even more so for the time you posted. There is no doubt in my mind you have another easy minute in you if you get healthy, not that there was anything wrong with today. I guess I want you to know how deeply I appreciate what you put yourself through for the team, and what it means to them, too. You are one tough girl.
Madison! In the 22s now! I'd make some vague "Matrix" reference about "Yes. She's starting to believe!", but you wouldn't get it. My point is I think you're beginning to believe in your potential. Yes, YOU are a great runner, and you have more time you'll drop, lots of it, before the season is over. A drop of 1:29 in a week is nothing to sneeze at.
Kaitlyn, you too are beginning to see it. You have run only since season has been in, but you are really doing a terrific job for us. Running in the 23s with no summer is amazing, and I don't think that's even close to all you have. The next couple of weeks are going to be really interesting for you.
Chloe! That was great to see, that final mile when you looked like the 800 runner you were born to be. That's the strongest I think I've ever seen you look in a race. You beat your time from last year, and it was a huge drop from last meet. Great, great job.
Diana, you too beat your time from last year. Yes, you did. I looked it up. After the hard week I put you through you were probably the least rested of the top-7. No matter, you ran great. You'll soon be in the 23s, I know that. I hope you believe it too.
Carlee, I think in a lot of ways you're still sorting this out, and today I saw a big step in that direction. Your time was a huge improvement over your last race (1:43), and I think there may be more jumps of a similar nature just around the corner. I'll reveal a little secret now... Coach Jo said all summer, "Carlee is your sleeper... she's going to surprise everyone!" What do you think about that!
Claudia, remember when you said you just wanted to complete a 5-mile run without stopping? Now look at you. That was a fantastic race for you today, and I think the athlete in you is really waking up. Now you're ready to go out there and collect a few scalps! Keep pushing, it will pay off.
Nicole, people can say whatever they want, but girl, you can SPRINT! In that final straight there was no question who was the fastest girl. It was you. Great drop on your time - 2:39 from last week to be precise. As your confidence grows, watch the time drop!
Here is the data I was able to pull together. Sorry about the mile 3 splits on a few of you... I was distracted and excited!
| Athlete | Mile 1 | Mile 2 | Pace | Mile 3 | Pace | 5k | Pace |
| Carrie | 6:11:00 | 13:10:00 | 6:59:00 | 20:08:00 | 6:58:00 | 20:50:00 | 6:43:14 |
| Danielle | 6:29:00 | 13:32:00 | 7:03:00 | 20:36:00 | 7:04:00 | 21:20:00 | 6:52:54 |
| Alli | 6:37:00 | 13:49:00 | 7:12:00 | 21:10:00 | 7:21:00 | 21:57:00 | 7:04:50 |
| Madison | 6:41:00 | 14:07:00 | 7:26:00 | 21:20:00 | 7:13:00 | 22:11:00 | 7:09:21 |
| Kaitlyn | 7:15:00 | 15:13:00 | 7:58:00 | 23:14:00 | 8:01:00 | 23:53:00 | 7:42:15 |
| Diana | 7:39:00 | 15:47:00 | 8:08:00 | ######## | 24:45:00 | 7:59:02 | |
| Chloe | 7:40:00 | 15:47:00 | 8:07:00 | ######## | 24:19:00 | 7:50:39 | |
| Carlee | 7:48:00 | 15:43:00 | 7:55:00 | ######## | 24:38:00 | 7:56:46 | |
| Claudia | 8:15:00 | 16:51:00 | 8:36:00 | 25:23:00 | 8:32:00 | 26:04:00 | 8:24:31 |
| Nicole | 8:45:00 | 18:11:00 | 9:26:00 | ######## | 28:07:00 | 9:04:12 |
Here is a comparison to last week's times:
| Athlete | Last 5k | Impr |
| Carrie | 21:47:00 | 0:57:00 |
| Danielle | 22:11:00 | 0:51:00 |
| Alli | 23:00:00 | 1:03:00 |
| Madison | 23:40:00 | 1:29:00 |
| Kaitlyn | 24:30:00 | 0:37:00 |
| Diana | 25:22:00 | 0:37:00 |
| Chloe | 26:17:00 | 1:58:00 |
| Carlee | 26:21:00 | 1:43:00 |
| Claudia | 27:57:00 | 1:53:00 |
| Nicole | 30:46:00 | 2:39:00 |
One final nugget for you - last year, the top-5 runners' times totaled up to 1:12:00. This year it was 1:10:11. Think about that. This top-5 we used today, on paper not even our fastest top-5, is better than last year's group. Significantly so, I might add. That total time translates into gap, and gap is points. The smaller the time, the smaller the gap, the fewer the points, the better the place. Follow that?
Now it's true there's a pretty big gap from #1-#5 today. We expected that, and it would have been unrealistic to see that closed to a minute in one meet. However, over the next few meets we need to try to close the distance down. This was what I was indirectly referring to at lunch, Kaitlyn. We'll close it, but not by slowing down the front; we'll do it by improving everyone, especially the back end.
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